58th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

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58th Infantry Division

Troop registration number of the 58th Infantry Division

Troop registration
active August 26, 1939 to May 8, 1945 (surrender)
Country German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire
Armed forces Wehrmacht
Armed forces army
Branch of service infantry
Type Infantry Division
structure structure
Strength Target: 15,000
garrison Luneburg
Second World War attack on Poland

German-Soviet War in the West

Leningrad blockade
Battle of Demyansk
Battle for East Prussia
Commanders
list of Commanders

The 58th Infantry Division was a major unit of the German Wehrmacht and was reorganized on August 26, 1939 by Wehrkreis X Hamburg as part of the second wave of formation (mobilization divisions). The installation took place in Lüneburg, Flensburg, Rendsburg and Oldenburg. In September 1939 she moved to the western border in the Saar area for security and further training.

history

The division's first combat mission took place in the western campaign on May 10. until June 25, 1940 in the Association of XXIII. Army Corps of the 16th Army. She then served as an occupation force in Belgium until April 20, 1941 .

The division was then assembled in East Prussia , in order to take part in the war against the Soviet Union from June 22, 1941 in the association of the 18th Army of Army Group North. The division penetrated within sight of Leningrad and was then used there from September 1941 to December 1942 in defensive battles off Leningrad as well as at Oranienbaum and on the Volkhov. This was followed by brief missions at Demyansk and Novgorod, then from April to September 1943 again at Leningrad. The Soviet breakthrough on Newel forced several divisions to be transferred to the south wing of Army Group North, including that of 58th Inf. Div. In the heavy fighting there, the division was able to achieve new defensive successes. The breakthrough of the Soviets through the German lines in front of Leningrad and the advance to the Estonian borders led to the division's relocation, this time to the Narva , where it remained deployed until July 1944.

The enormous success of the Soviets in the summer battle of 1944 meant that u. a. the 58th Inf.-div. back to the new south wing of the HGr. Moved back north and defended himself there in the Dünaburg area. The evacuation of Estonia and Livonia in September 1944 and the breakthrough of the Soviets in early October to the Baltic Sea north of Memel made it necessary to relocate the division by sea to defend Memel in the bridgehead there, where it crossed the Curonian until the evacuation at the end of January 1945 Spit remained in Samland. Then the 58th Inf.-Div. in action to defend the Samland until it was lost and their remnants marched across the fresh spit to the Vistula lowland, where a catchment area was set up near Stutthof . From there the crossing took place to the Hela peninsula, on which the surrender took place on May 8, 1945 and the day after the march of the survivors into Soviet captivity began.

structure

1939 1944

Infantry Regiment 154
Infantry Regiment 209
Infantry Regiment 220

Grenadier Regiment 154
Grenadier Regiment 209

Divisional Fusilier Battalion 58
Artillery Regiment 158
Engineer Battalion 158
Anti-tank department 158 Panzerjäger detachment 158
Reconnaissance Department 158
Field Replacement Battalion 158
Infantry Division News Division 158
Infantry Division Supply Leader 158 Divisional Supply Regiment 158

Commanders

literature

  • Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939–1945 . 2nd Edition. tape 5 . The Land Forces 31-70 . Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1977, ISBN 3-7648-1107-2 .
  • Kurt von Zydowitz: The history of the 58th Infantry Division 1939-1945. Potzdun 1952.